DUBAI: Acclaimed archeologist and Egypt’s former minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass announced that he has wrapped up the script for an opera dedicated to Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun. It is set to debut at the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2020.
Speaking at the launch of the new exhibition “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” at London’s Saatchi Gallery on Nov. 2, Hawass revealed, “I wrote the opera and we offered it to the museum for the opening, and they agreed,” adding that it would be “nice to stage it also in the west Valley of the Kings in 2022,” which marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by the Egyptologist Howard Carter.
The opera, which was co-written by author Francesco Santocono, will feature a score composed by Italian musician Lina Zimbone.
Hawass first announced the news in Venice in 2017 during a book signing of the Italian novel “The Lotus and Papyrus,” which inspired the forthcoming opera.
The show will explore the death of Tutankhamun’s father King Akhenaten, his ascension to the throne, and his attempted murder by Queen Nefertiti upon discovering that none of her six daughters could be the king of Egypt.
The production will also tell the story of King Tut’s coronation and his untimely death at 19-years-old.
